From the article:
"A colleague is not a fan of the Kleenex-box styling of the 2003 Honda Element. "But I'm sort of reluctant to say anything. Honda so seldom takes any chances with styling, so when they finally do, you really don't want to discourage them."
I know what he means. One look at the 2003 Civic sedan, for instance, will tell you that Honda's styling department is as conservative as they come. But one look at the wonky Element will tell you that, well, they're trying, bless their hearts."